The Princess Who Went to War

Chapter 22 - Gloomy

[Calysta]

Dinner was rather silent, with Gabriel and I not talking. The others were already halfway done when we had arrived, but we still managed to finish our food much faster than everyone else. 

Somehow, I feel that everyone had sensed the tension, as the once filled-with-chatter table became quiet when we arrived. 

Gwen senses this too, as she quickly eats all her food to match my pace and follow me once I am finished. I excuse myself very quickly before I finally leave.

"Are you alright?" Gwen asks as she walks beside me towards our quarters. 

"Just..., I don't want to talk about it." I reply. She doesn't say anything else, but quietly follow me into our quarters. Upset at what had happened, and my inability to explain why I've been acting the way I have been at the simple teasing of my friends, I change into my nightgown, take my hair off of the braid and lay on my bed. 

"It's drizzling." Gwen points out as she looks out the single window of our small quarters. I do not answer, knowing full well that it is my emotions that is causing it to drizzle. 

Even after all these years, my magic is still strongly influenced by how I feel. Truly, much more strongly influenced by my emotions than by me. 

"Goodnight, Caly." Gwen whispers as she, too, lies down on her bed. I do not know how I got to sleep, but I did. And when I awoke the next morning, the drizzle hadn't stopped. 

I change into my gear, tie my hair into a braid down my back, and head out to find it still drizzling. I've been having a tight feeling in my chest since last night, and I feel that this emotion has been causing the drizzle. 

So, when I get by the quarters' entrance, I close my eyes, breathe out a heavy sigh as I try to ease my emotions, and will for the drizzle to stop. I open my eyes to realize that it hadn't worked, so I try again. 

I close my eyes, breathe out the heavy feeling in my chest, and will for the drizzle to stop. I open my eyes, to find that it has worked, but barely. The sky is still filled with clouds, threatening to pour again. 

I roll my eyes at my inability to do anything about the situation, hoping that the day goes well and the sky clears up, before everyone else adds two and two together, and realize that the gloomy weather is somehow out of my control. 

"What's with the weather?" I hear Kalah ask Gwen as I leave. I do not hear Gwen's reply, as I keep walking towards the training grounds. 

There, I find Gabriel's team and a few others already training, but Gabriel is nowhere to be found. 

"It's the first time it's been gloomy since you've arrived." Ulysses says as he approaches me, sweating from sparring with Ulwid. 

"Thought a gloomy weather would be a good change." I casually reply, trying to sound convincing. 

"It is not." He only replies as he chuckles and stands next to me, watching all the others train and spar. 

"Gabriel is at the infirmary getting his tonic for the morning." He says, still watching the others. I do not answer, and simply pretend I didn't hear, or couldn't care less as I approach Randall. 

"Shall we spar?" I ask him. He looks at me, reluctantly. I smile. 

"No magic, I promise." I tell him. 

"That's not what he's worried about." Ulysses shouts and I see that Gwen has taken my place beside him. I look at Randall, to see him looking down, only to realize what he's worried about. 

"You can only try, but I guarantee you can't hurt me." I tell him. He looks up, shocked at my remark. 

I unsheathe Talassia as I take a few steps away from him, "I may be a Sorceress, but the Commander of the Royal Guard trained me in swordsmanship. I spar with the General of the Army." I tell him. 

He looks at me, no longer reluctant. Challenged. 

He takes his sword and takes the defensive, waiting for me to attack. I smirk, eyeing him, before I take the offensive and run to him. 

"Big mistake." I faintly hear Gwen say as they watch us. 

I prepare to attack, my sword already up, and I watch as Randall puts his sword across his body, prepared to receive mine. 

Instead of swinging my sword against his, though, I swiftly shift my foot to the right, and run past him, catching if off guard, as I use all the my might in kicking his side, causing him to fall side ward and down. 

Before he can recover and get up, I put up a foot on his chest, pointing my sword right on his throat. 

"I am not sure if it is that you underestimated me, or it is that I am too good." I tell him, smiling. 

"This is why I do not spar with her when she's in a bad mood." Gwen says. I look at her, glaring. She avoids my gaze as she looks up. Behind them, I see Gabriel watching. I immediately look away as I slip Talassia back into its scabbard offer a hand to Randall. 

He looks around, seemingly embarrassed as he takes my hand and get up. 

"The women of the Palace are no joke." He says as he looks at me, and then Gwen, referring to how he has lost to the both of us. 

"You should meet my governess. She can beat anyone up with her measuring tape." I reply, reminiscing my days with my strict governess and all those painstaking etiquette lessons I was forced to take. 

"Another round? For my dignity?" He asks. I laugh as I agree, only for my attention to be taken by Ser Remnand, walking towards us. 

He stops right next to us, and bows to me before finally speaking. 

"A raven has arrived carrying a letter from the Palace." He tells me. I turn completely towards him at this news. 

"As you have said, the King has promised the General's arrival, as well as the arrival of all the reserved and available troops of Raziem. Swordsmiths has been commanded to create more weapons. Wagons upon wagons of our needs shall arrive in the next days." He tells me. I nod, satisfied at this. 

"Also," Ser Remnand adds as he hands me a letter I hadn't noticed he was holding, "A letter for you." He says as he hands it to me. 

I receive it, immediately opening it there and then, sure of what the content will be. To my surprise, it is not a letter demanding of my quick return, but a letter of best wishes and prayers for safety. My father only ask that I return home safe and in one piece, reminding me that all of the Palace is waiting. 

I take a deep breath as I fold the letter back into the envelope and tuck it into my pocket. 

"Thank you." I thank Ser Remnand. He bows. 

"The Commander of the Royal Guards insists on your return." He adds. I scoff at this. 

"He can insist all he wants. But if my own father does not insist on having me back at the Palace, the Commander can't do much." I reply. 

"Now, shall we talk about the important mission for today?" I ask as I walk with Ser Remnand to the infirmary. 

We find Ayu having finished huge bottles of the sleeping tonic and right outside, the squires have successfully finished a large wagon, enough to fit a giant. They've prepared a dozen large stallions to pull the wagon as well. 

The squires also have twisted large ropes into even larger ones, to be able to hold the giant and prepared them in large quantities, just to be sure. 

"Ser Rem and his whole team will be joining you." Ser Remnand tells me. I only nod as I know that Ser Rem has more than twenty soldiers in his team.

"You may depart as soon as everyone involved get ready." Ser Remnand tells me, Ser Rem and Gabriel, who are right behind me. 

"We can go now." I reply, looking around for any objections. There was none.

"Very well. Move out." Ser Remnand announces. Everyone included in the mission heads to the gate, ready to leave as onlookers watch our departure. Surely, more will be waiting for when we arrive. 

So, we leave Raziem's territory, headed for the forest, in search for a lone giant that has been noted by the men who patrol these forests in search of monster camps. 

Ulwid and the tracker of Ser Rem's team lead the way, looking for tell-tale clues that a giant has been in the area. The squires leading the stallions pulling the huge wagon follow closely behind. 

It is not long until the trackers finally raise their hands in signal that they have found what we are looking for. Gabriel and Ser Rem take a glance at each other before looking back at Kalah and I. I look to my side to see Kalah's eyes already partially glowing, excited and fired up. 

The soldiers take their ropes, getting ready to capture and bind the giant. 

Kalah and I move forward to the very front of the line, Ulwid pointing at the walking giant who seems to be merely passing by. 

I use my magic and summon the wind, as I raise both hands up to my chest, facing the direction of the giant. With all my might, I am for the giant's foot. 

He gasps as my strong wind quite literally sweeps him off his feet, causing him to fall to the ground. Kalah sends out fire his way to keep him from standing back up without hurting him. 

While she does this, I use my magic to once again summon the winds, getting ready as the soldiers surround the giant, ropes in hand. 

"Now!" Gabriel commands. Kalah withdraws her fire, and the soldiers throw their ropes over the giant. I use my wind to roll the giant over, so that the soldiers can work on binding him. 

There is a huge struggle, and the giant puts up a fight. But eventually, we manage to bind him up together as the men hold on tightly to the ropes to prevent the giant from escaping. 

Kalah and I walk towards the giant, with the giant bottle of tonic in her hand. With my magic, I use the wind to force the giant's mouth open as Kalah swiftly pours the tonic in, some getting wasted due to the strength of the wind. 

Finally, Kalah empties the bottle and in just a few seconds, the giant is out cold. Ayu must have added some pretty strong ingredients in the tonic. 

Though the giant is now unconscious, the men still hold on tightly to the ropes, almost uncertain. Everyone stares at the sleeping monster in front of us before Gabriel speaks up. 

"We have to move fast. Other monsters in the area may have heard of the struggle. A Giorem might have been alerted by our movement." He says. Everyone immediately starts moving, with the squires guiding the stallions towards the giant. 

The strongest men board the wagon as they pull the giant up with the ropes, some men pushing the giant upwards by its body. 

With my magic, I will for the wind to help, and sweep the giant up on the wagon. Once on, the men take extra measures by tying him up to the wagon itself, in case he ever wakes up during the trip back to the gate. 

It takes a while, with the soldiers watching the perimeters, getting ready for an unexpected ambush. 

"Well, it was much easier than I had hoped. I was hoping for more of a struggle." Kalah comments as she yawns. Randall scoffs at her remark as Gwen laughs. 

"Well, the fun part is during the torture anyway." Kalah adds as she smiles widely, excited at the thought. 

Once the giant has been secured onto the wagon, we all head back, slowly, looking ahead to the first interrogation of a monster ever to be performed within the walls of Raziem.